Tarique Rahman to meet Erdogan in Antalya today

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Antalya on Tuesday as Bangladesh and Turkey seek to strengthen bilateral relations, particularly in defence, trade and diplomatic cooperation.

The meeting is scheduled for 6:30pm local time at the Maxx Royal Hotel in Antalya, according to diplomatic sources in Dhaka.

The meeting comes amid growing high-level engagement between the two countries since the BNP government assumed office in February, including reciprocal visits by foreign ministers, a visit by the Bangladesh Army chief to Turkey and increased diplomatic communication.

Tarique left Dhaka for Antalya on Tuesday morning to attend the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), scheduled for November 10–12. He is leading the Bangladesh delegation and is expected to address the conference’s plenary session on November 12.

On the sidelines of the conference, the prime minister may also hold bilateral meetings with leaders of several countries.

This will be Tarique’s second meeting with Erdogan since becoming prime minister. The two leaders first met on September 22 at the Turkish House in New York on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

During that meeting, Erdogan called for placing bilateral relations on a stronger institutional footing, emphasising greater cooperation in the defence industry and increased bilateral trade.

In early June, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited Dhaka and paid a courtesy call on Tarique. Fidan described his visit as the first step towards elevating relations between the two countries to a strategic level.

Following the meeting, the two sides announced plans to establish a joint ministerial committee on defence and foreign affairs. They also agreed to hold annual meetings between their foreign ministers and regular consultations involving the foreign and defence ministers.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman thanked Turkey for supporting Bangladesh’s bid for the presidency of the 81st UN General Assembly during a joint press conference with Fidan in Dhaka.

Defence cooperation has also gained momentum in recent years.

In July, Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman visited Turkey on a five-day official tour. Discussions during the visit covered bilateral defence cooperation, military training, defence technology, the defence industry, capacity building and other issues of mutual interest.

Both sides expressed interest in expanding professional ties, exchanging expertise and strengthening cooperation between their armed forces. The army chief also visited several leading Turkish defence industry and military technology establishments.

The Rohingya crisis has also featured in discussions between the two countries. During their New York meeting, Erdogan praised Bangladesh for sheltering more than one million Rohingya refugees and reaffirmed Turkey’s commitment to humanitarian assistance in areas including shelter, education and infrastructure.

High-level exchanges have increased since the BNP government took office in February. Turkey was represented at the government’s swearing-in ceremony on February 17 by Deputy Foreign Minister Berris Ekinci.

Khalilur Rahman chose Turkey for his first bilateral foreign visit after taking office, travelling there on March 14. During his meeting with Fidan in Ankara, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding between their diplomatic training institutions.

The foreign minister also attended the Antalya Diplomacy Forum from April 17 to 19, before Fidan made his first visit to Dhaka in June.